The present invention relates to apparatus for assembling arrays of rod-shaped articles, especially plain or filter cigarettes, cigars or cigarillos. More particularly, the invention relates to improvements in apparatus of the type wherein successive layers of multi-layer arrays of parallel rod-shaped articles are transferred into successive receptacles of a conveyor which is caused to advance along a source of supply of such articles, for example, along the magazine of a cigarette packing machine. Still more particularly, the invention relates to improvements in apparatus of the type wherein each of several spaced-apart components of a magazine gathers successive layers of parallel rod-shaped articles for introduction into successive receptacles of an intermittently driven conveyor.
Commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,362,235 granted Dec. 7, 1982 to Erdmann, and commonly owned pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 421,561 filed Sept. 22, 1982 by Erdmann et al., disclose apparatus which can accumulate rod-shaped smokers' products (hereinafter called cigarettes for short) into arrays in the form of blocks wherein several layers of parallel cigarettes are disposed in parallel planes and the cigarettes of neighboring layers are preferably staggered relative to one another to constitute formations which are customary in 20-cigarette packs. The magazines of apparatus which are disclosed in the aforementioned patent and patent application have several upright outlets each of which contains several ducts for the accumulation of successive layers of cigarettes at different levels. Reciprocable pushers are employed to transfer successively formed layers into the receptacles of an intermittently driven conveyor which is at a standstill during each transfer of layers and is thereupon set in motion to rapidly advance successive receptacles from the preceding to the next-following outlets. The accumulation of blocks of cigarettes from discrete layers in lieu of simultaneous introduction of entire blocks into successive receptacles is preferred in modern high-speed packing machines because the gathering of a single layer of cigarettes takes up a small fraction of the time which is needed to accumulate an entire block at a single outlet of the magazine. The just discussed mode of accumulating multi-layer blocks constributes to a very pronounced reduction of intervals of time which are needed to accumulate blocks of articles in accordance with previously known techniques, e.g., in a manner as disclosed in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,061,234 granted Dec. 6, 1977 to Bantien et al. This patent teaches to assemble several layers of cigarettes into a complete block while the receptacle which is about to receive the block is in the process of advancing to the block forming station.
However, heretofore known apparatus for accumulation of blocks of cigarettes in the form of multi-layer arrays, wherein each layer is introduced at a separate station, also exhibit certain drawbacks, especially in modern high-speed cigarette packing and like machines. The drawbacks are attributable to the need for the rapid acceleration and rapid deceleration during successive periods of dwell of the conveyor in order to reduce to a minimum the intervals of transport of receptacles from station to station. The cigarettes of the layers are transported sideways and are highly likely to become misaligned, for example, to lie askew, especially in those receptacles which are not filled to capacity, i.e., in each receptacle which does not confine a full block or array of cigarettes (e.g., a block of twenty cigarettes consisting of two outer layers having seven cigarettes each and a median layer of six cigarettes). Any shifting of the cigarettes in the receptacles of the intermittently driven conveyor entails the accumulation of arrays which are not suited for introduction into packets and must be discarded with attendant losses in output of the packing machine and considerable expenditures for recycling of acceptable cigarettes and recovery of tobacco from damaged cigarettes. Undesirable shifting of cigarettes cannot be reliably avoided by the already proposed expedient of employing receptacles which are so narrow that the lowermost and uppermost layers of cigarettes extend all the way between the side walls of the respective receptacle and the cigarettes of the median layer extend into the recesses between the cigarettes of the outer layers (it is assumed here that the cigarettes are assembled into arrays of twenty cigarettes each). In order to avoid any, even remote, likelihood of misalignment of cigarettes, it is necessary to drive the conveyor at less than optimum speed (i.e., to operate the packing machine at less than capacity) and/or to resort to complex and costly devices which hold the cigarettes against shifting prior to complete filling of the respective receptacles. Such devices are installed externally of the receptacles and are intended to guide those portions of cigarettes which extend beyond their receptacles.